New Alabama athletic director says he's ready for his next challenge

Bill Battle was introduced to the media on Friday March 22, 2013 during a press conference at the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Robert Sutton | The Tuscaloosa News

By Chase GoodbreadSports Writer

Published: Friday, March 22, 2013 at 7:42 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 22, 2013 at 7:42 p.m.

TUSCALOOSA | Carrying on an unprecedented level of overall success in athletics at the University of Alabama is certainly part of the mission for new UA Director of Athletics Bill Battle.

But the first thing on his to-do list?

A six-week education from UA athletics coaches and staff that Battle described as "a listening tour."

"What I'm going to do for the next six weeks or so is go on a listening tour and try to be a sponge and soak up everything that I can soak up from everybody I can get in front of to learn every facet that I can about this athletics department," said Battle, 71. "I want to learn about its people, I want to learn about how they perform, I want to learn about what they do, I want to learn if that is what they should do."

On Friday, however, he listened as school officials from President Judy Bonner to football coach Nick Saban delivered endorsements for the UA board of trustees' approval of Battle's contract. The four-year agreement calls for a salary of $620,000. When asked if he would consider an extension beyond the four-year term, Battle said that would be up to UA.

Battle, a former Alabama football player under legendary coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant, and a former head coach at Tennessee, said he recognizes the importance of building a strong relationship with Saban.

"The relationship of anybody at the University of Alabama and coach Saban is important because coach Saban is important. What he's done in football, not many people have done in college sports. He's gotten ahead of the field," Battle said. "So we want to be supportive as we can be to his needs and his team's needs, give him the best chance that he has to give his players the best chance to compete, as we want to do with all our coaches."

Battle left the coaching business in 1976 after seven seasons at Tennessee, and soon built Collegiate Licensing Co., which grew to attract NCAA schools to license their logos for merchandising. Battle sold the business in 2007, and had settled into filling his days with consulting work, charity involvement and board service when the call came that Alabama was interested in him as Mal Moore's replacement.

"When I got the call about this job, I'd left my farm, I had been out with a chain saw cutting up trees that had fallen from a recent tornado. The call came, they told me about Mal's sudden decline, and asked if I was interested in taking this job," Battle said. "My first reaction was ‘Wow, this is a great honor. But do I really want to do this?' For the last two weeks that's what I've been wrestling with."

Battle said he and his wife, Mary, were looking to "get out of our comfort zone," and becoming UA's director of athletics was an ideal way to do it. The question of whether the job was the right way to do that, however, persisted until Battle visited campus and met with various trustees and school officials.

Soon after that, he was convinced.

"I thought to myself, ‘If I didn't do this, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Because it's an opportunity to pay back the university, if I can, a great debt that I owed the university,' " Battle said. "If I don't do it, it would be a big mistake."

Saban said he was looking forward to working with Battle, and at the same time looking forward to Moore's return in a special assistant role.

"He's been a very successful player here, he was a very successful coach," Saban said of Battle. "He's been a very successful leader in the business world, and certainly a first-class individual who is well-respected by just about everybody you could ever meet that know him."

<p>TUSCALOOSA | Carrying on an unprecedented level of overall success in athletics at the University of Alabama is certainly part of the mission for new UA Director of Athletics Bill Battle.</p><p>But the first thing on his to-do list?</p><p>A six-week education from UA athletics coaches and staff that Battle described as "a listening tour."</p><p>"What I'm going to do for the next six weeks or so is go on a listening tour and try to be a sponge and soak up everything that I can soak up from everybody I can get in front of to learn every facet that I can about this athletics department," said Battle, 71. "I want to learn about its people, I want to learn about how they perform, I want to learn about what they do, I want to learn if that is what they should do."</p><p>On Friday, however, he listened as school officials from President Judy Bonner to football coach Nick Saban delivered endorsements for the UA board of trustees' approval of Battle's contract. The four-year agreement calls for a salary of $620,000. When asked if he would consider an extension beyond the four-year term, Battle said that would be up to UA.</p><p>Battle, a former Alabama football player under legendary coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant, and a former head coach at Tennessee, said he recognizes the importance of building a strong relationship with Saban.</p><p>"The relationship of anybody at the University of Alabama and coach Saban is important because coach Saban is important. What he's done in football, not many people have done in college sports. He's gotten ahead of the field," Battle said. "So we want to be supportive as we can be to his needs and his team's needs, give him the best chance that he has to give his players the best chance to compete, as we want to do with all our coaches."</p><p>Battle left the coaching business in 1976 after seven seasons at Tennessee, and soon built Collegiate Licensing Co., which grew to attract NCAA schools to license their logos for merchandising. Battle sold the business in 2007, and had settled into filling his days with consulting work, charity involvement and board service when the call came that Alabama was interested in him as Mal Moore's replacement.</p><p>"When I got the call about this job, I'd left my farm, I had been out with a chain saw cutting up trees that had fallen from a recent tornado. The call came, they told me about Mal's sudden decline, and asked if I was interested in taking this job," Battle said. "My first reaction was 'Wow, this is a great honor. But do I really want to do this?' For the last two weeks that's what I've been wrestling with."</p><p>Battle said he and his wife, Mary, were looking to "get out of our comfort zone," and becoming UA's director of athletics was an ideal way to do it. The question of whether the job was the right way to do that, however, persisted until Battle visited campus and met with various trustees and school officials.</p><p>Soon after that, he was convinced.</p><p>"I thought to myself, 'If I didn't do this, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Because it's an opportunity to pay back the university, if I can, a great debt that I owed the university,' " Battle said. "If I don't do it, it would be a big mistake." </p><p>Saban said he was looking forward to working with Battle, and at the same time looking forward to Moore's return in a special assistant role.</p><p>"He's been a very successful player here, he was a very successful coach," Saban said of Battle. "He's been a very successful leader in the business world, and certainly a first-class individual who is well-respected by just about everybody you could ever meet that know him."</p><p>Reach Chase Goodbread at chase@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0196.</p>